


the Second Newblood

by siIverpheonix



Category: Red Queen Series - Victoria Aveyard
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 21:40:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29425410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siIverpheonix/pseuds/siIverpheonix
Summary: Shade Barrow is a young man with Red blood but he bears a Silver ability. He will rise with his sister, Mare, Red as Dawn.
Relationships: Diana Farley/Shade Barrow, Mare Barrow & Kilorn Warren, Mare Barrow/Tiberias "Cal" Calore VII
Kudos: 3





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story contains spoilers, please don't read if you haven't read Glass Sword. Also, I wrote this a few years ago so it isn't very good.

Mare's head rests on my lap, her eyes hardly open. "Mare" Cal says, obviously relieved she's alive. She tries to get up but I pull her down, not wanting her to hurt herself. "Lie still" I murmur 

"Kilorn"

"I'm here" he replies, getting up from his seat.

"Who-?" Suddenly I remember that she still doesn't know I'm alive. I hope she isn't too mad at me, "Am I dead? Are we dead?" I shake my head, "Your not dead Mare, neither am I."

" How? " she runs her fingers through my hair, "The mutation, they killed you for it."

"They tried," I jump next to Cal then to the other side of the carriage, "And failed, they said they killed me, they told the captains I was dead and my body burned." I teleport back to her, "But they weren't fast enough, no one is."

"What about the others? Mum, Dad-"

"They're safe and waiting, we'll see them soon"

"Let him go" she probably means Cal

"They won't. And they shouldn't. I'm fact, you should probably blindfold me if you want to be thorough" he replies, answering before Diana gets a chance.

"Cal, shut up, your not a danger to anyone" 

"They seem to think otherwise" he gestures at us.

"Not to us, I mean. He saved me up there, even after what I did, and after what Maven did to you-"

"Don't say his name" he growls. Diana's hand tightens around her gun though I don't blame him, I would be heartbroken if Bree or Tramy did that to me.

"No matter what he did for you, the prince is not on our side. And I won't risk what's left of us for your little romance." She snaps. 

"We're gonna have to keep fighting, Mare, but Silvers have betrayed us before. We won't trust them again." Kilorn replies softly, "He might be a valuable prisoner" 

"The others like us, the others like me and Shade-" Mare starts

"" I have the list" Diana pats her pocket, "I have the names"

"And so does Maven, he'll use the bloodshed to trace them, and hunt them down." Mare gets up and I try to steady her but she brushes my hand away, stubborn as always. "He can't find them before we do, he can't." 

"He won't" Kilorn gets up to stand with her.


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> after Maven's betrayal, the Scarlet Guard must work out what do next and find the main base

"Hide your face, it's what their after" Diana tells us.

"I hope you don't plan to fight" Cal says, his eyes on Mare, "I hope you plan to run." I laugh a little under my breath. My little sister's prince has been softened by the palace.

"Save your breath, I know what we have to do."

" So does he" Mare snaps, "Cal knows how they fight, he knows what they'll do to stop us. Use him."

"They'll have snapdragons" Cal says

"Flowers?" Kilorn laughs

"Airjets, orange wings, single pilot, easy to maneuvre, perfect for urban assault. They carry four missiles each. Times one squadron, that's forty eight missiles you're going to have to outrun, plus light ammunition. Can you handle that?" I try to convince myself that he is just being pessimistic but why would he lie about something like that? "And the Dragons are the least of our worries," he continues, "They'll just circle, defend a perimeter, keep us in place until ground troops arrive. They'll surround is and present terms. Mare and I for your escape."

" We can't agree to that" Mare says 

"The king doesn't expect us to give in, the jets will bring the ruins down on us, and the rest will mop up the survivors. It will be little more than a massacre."

"What do you suggest?" Diana asks, bending over him, " Total surrender?"

"Maven will still kill you. In a cell or in a battlefield, he won't let any of us live."

"Then better we die fighting" Kilorn tries to sound brave but everyone can see that he's trembling.

"We are not the ones who die today" Diana says as the train slows. Cal whispers something to Mare as Kilorn moves inbetween them.

The ruins of Naercy are covered with most but at least there are no jets in the sky just yet. I hate to think about what would happen to Mare if Maven got to us.


	3. 3

I can tell Mare is questioning Diana's decisions. "Think what you want of Farley, but know she isn't stupid," I say before she can ask, " She gave the order to evacuate last night, after she escaped Archeon. She thought you or Maven would talk under torture."

"There's not enough of us to keep this rebellion going, even if we escape again." She whispers to me after a while.

I try to smile, "That's not your concern."

A mechanical scream comes from the mist and we look around for danger. Only Cal seems to know what awaits us. Twelve planes fly above us, their beautiful orange wings flickering as if they are on fire. Mare stares in horror, transfixed by the deadly machines. Missiles drop around us and I grip Mare's arm tightly and run into the ruins. The jets come closer and closer. "Where are we going?" Mare asks, barely able to speak.

"The river" Kilorn replies, "Can you take us?"

"Not in one jump, it's too far and I'd rather save my strength" I say to him. Mare seems to agree.

"Where are they taking Cal?" 

"Hell if I care" 

"You should" why do Kilorn and Mare always have to do this? Even in the most urgent of situations, they find something to argue about,

"He can help us get out of here, he can fight with us"

"He'll escape or kill us the second we give him the chance"

"He could've killed you already"

"Somehow I thought you two would outgrow your bickering," I say, stepping in between them, "How silly of me." Kilorn forces out an apology but Mare just watches the jets.

"They're flying away from us. If we're going to go we need to do it now." I don't see why but I don't argue, 

"This way," I tell them, pointing through the trees to a small, stone path. The path gets so narrow that I can't hold on to her anymore and losing her wouldn't be good for any of us. I grab her arm tighter and jump to the edge of the grove as Kilorn emerges. "But he was ahead" she murmurs, "You-"

"Lets say I... jumped. As long as you're holding on to me, you can come too." We run over to the other Scarlet Guard members and Mare lookes around for Cal, "I'm not leaving without him." 

"The prince is coming with us. I give you my word" I assure her

"I don't trust your word" It hurts but I can't blame her. After everything she's been through, I don't think she could trust anyone again. I just shake my head and keep moving.

The sound of marching feet fills the air. Electricity explodes from Mare's hands, forcing me and Kilorn to step back."Mare!" I shout trying to stop her from losing control. Her hand closes on my arm, "Look," she says pointing to the crowds of Reds, iron chains around their feet.   
"We have to keep moving," I mutter. I know its terrible what's going on, but it must be ignored, we need to stay alive. For the Newbloods. "Kilorn, come with us now, or we'll leave you." maybe that was a bit harsh but it seems to work on Mare, "Kilorn, there's nothing we can do for them." she tells him 

"That's not true. You have to do something. You can save them-"

"No, I can't" She replies. We keep on running until it's too dangerous and I jump them as far as I can. "How much farther?" Mare asks. I stop and look up, "Wait," I say. The massive building beside us begins to fall. I grab on to Mare but I don't jump. there would be no point. Bullets meant for her hit me on my legs and arms and I try not to show the pain. The structure should shield us but two magnetrons stop it from doing so. Mare and Kilorn try to hold me up, dragging me into an impact crater. Kilorn rips off a part of his sleeve, using it to bandage my leg. "Can you jump?" he asks me

I shake my head, "Not yet"

"Then what do we do?" I am about to reply but I realise he's talking to Mare, "Mare, What do we do?"

"You leave me, that's what you do!" I growl. I can easily catch them once I'm ready and if I don't, at least they're safe. "You run to the river, you find Farley. I'll jump to you as soon as I can."

"Don't lie to a liar," she says, "We're getting out of her together. All of us" the legion comes closer and closer. "Get him up Kilorn" 

"I'll only slow you down," I protest

"You can apologise for that later, get moving"

"Mare, if you think we're leaving you-" Kilorn warns as sparks appear in her hands

"Run" Kilorn sets off with me limping along behind him. We reach the river where Diana waits for us. 

"Shade!" she calls to me

"I'll survive" she hugs me and then I pass out.


	4. 4

I wake in a makeshift hospital in the Mersive but immediately pretend to be asleep again. I learnt it a couple of years ago so I could pick up on conversations and find out useful things.

"We should let him sleep" I hear Mare's voice

"Yes please do," I say, without opening my eyes. She laughs, probably remembering the Stilts.

"Eavesdropping on nurses? Have you learnt how many bandages they've got squirrelled away?" 

I open my eyes and beckon them closer, "The nurses know more than you think" I say

"What have you heard?" Kilorn asks

"We're headed to another base, this time off the coast. Outside Nortan territory."

"An island?"

I nod, "Called Tuck. It must not be much because the Silvers don't have an outpost there. They've all but forgotten it."

"But they know it exists, that's enough," 

"Farley seemed confident in the base there"

Kilorn scoffs, "I remember her thinking Naercey was safe too"

"It wasn't her fault we lost Naercey" Mare says

"Maven tricked everyone, Mare, he got past me, you and Farley. We all believed in him." 

"Did Farley say anything about the list? She still has it, doesn't she?"

"She does, but she's more concerned with the others we're meeting in Tuck, Mom and Dad included." I reply, "Gisa too, and the lumps we call brothers."

"Others? Who? How can that be?" I glance at Kilorn and Mare glares at us.

Kilorn gestures at me, "You know more than I do."

"The Guard likes to play things close to the chest, and rightfully so." I say, "We want to look small, broken, disorganised-"

"Well you're doing a terrific job"

"Don't be cruel, Mare, I'm trying to tell you that things aren't as bad as they seem. Naercey was not our only stronghold and Farley is not our only leader. In fact, she's not even true Command, she's just a captain. There are others like her- and even more above her. The Silvers think they're two steps ahead of us, but they don't even know where we stand. We seem weak because we want to."

"Maven tricked you, trapped you, and ran you out of your own house. Or are you going to try and tell me that was all part of another plan?"

"Mare-" Kilorn mumbles but she just shoves him away and starts crying.

"I don't care how many boats and bases you have. You're not going to win against him, not like this." 

"Then what do you suggest, lightning girl?" Diana says from behind her

Mare stands and glares at her, "Fight fire with fire"

"Is that some kind of Silver joke?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" the cabin goes quiet, "You thrive on looking weak and striving hard, yes? Well they can do anything to look strong, to seem invincible. But in the arena, I proved they are not. They are not invincible"

"Your'e stronger than they are," her eyes stray to me, "And you're not the only one who is"

"Hundreds of names, hundreds of Reds with abilities. Stronger, faster better than they are, with blood Red as the dawn. Maven will try to kill them, but if we get to them first we could be-"

"The greatest army this world has ever seen, an army of newbloods" Diana smiles.


	5. 5

"Your family will be waiting when you arrive," Diana says to me as she straps me into a stretcher. She tries to give me painkiller but I wave it off, I don't want to be unconscious while my family are close. When we get up the ladder, the rest follow us. Diana nods at Mare and Cal, trying to warn them of what's to come. I wish they were allowed to know, then Mare would be able to keep Cal out of this. I am thankfully taken to Tuck's makeshift hospital so I won't have to see Mare upset.

"Shade" 

"Hi Tramy"

"Are you feeling ok?"

"Yeah, how's Mare?"

"She's fine, heartbroken though, I still don't see how she could ever fall in love with a Silver, it's not like her."

"All that time with them has almost made her into one, but Cal seems alright"

"Oh, I didn't know that was possible"

"Don't be cruel, Tramy" 

"I'll see you tomorrow" 

I am not left alone with Diana for long. Mare and Kilorn come striding in. "You just missed the brutes" I call over to her and she sits down next to me.

"Good, they're on my nerves already." I know that she doesn't just mean they're annoying her. Bree was a part of Cal's arrest. I just nod.

"How do you like Tuck, lightning girl?" Diana gets up from the bed beside me.

"I'm still deciding" 

"And the Colonel, how do you like him? He makes quite a first impression. Needs to prove he's in control with every breath. Especially with people like you two." 

"Is that why he took Cal away? Can't have warrior like him running around, making him look bad?"

"No, that's not why he took the prince."

"Then why? What has he done?" Diana never gets a chance to answer as the room goes quiet and Colonel Farley and his bodyguards storm in.

"Hiding, Captain? You're smart enough to know that an audience wont protect you."

"I tried to do all you've asked, the difficult and the impossible. You left me a hundred soldiers to overthrow Norta, an entire country. What did you expect, Colonel?"

"I expected you to return with more than twenty six of them." I wish the Colonel didn't have to always to intimidate people so much. Can't he see how angry Diana is getting? "I expected you to be smarter than a seventeen year old princeling. I expected you to protect your soldiers, not throw them to a den of Silver wolves. I expected much and more of you, Diana, much and more than what you gave." Diana. He should know better than to call her that in front of the other. She doesn't like people knowing her name, she thinks it makes her look weak. She only lets me call her Diana.

"I convinced her, Colonel." Mare says, getting into things she shouldn't, as always. She pushes Kilorn to the side, "I vouched for Maven and his plan. If not for me, your men and woman would be alive. Their blood is on my hands, not hers."

"Not everything revolves around you, Miss Barrow. The world does not rise and fall at your command." I'm pretty sure that isn't what Mare meant. "These mistakes are her own and no-one else's. I strip you of your command, Diana. Do you challenge this?"

"I do not, sir."

"Your best choice in weeks."

"What of my mission?"

"Mission? What mission? I was not made aware of any new orders."

"Miss Barrow had an interesting proposition, one I plan to pursue. I believe Command will agree." Mare swells with pride.

"What proposition is this?"

"I was given a list of names. Of Reds like my brother and me, born with the mutation that enables our... abilities." Mare says, "They can be found, protected, trained. Red like us but strong as Silvers, able to fight them in the open. Maybe even powerful enough to win the war. The king knows about the list, and will surely kill them all if we don't find them first. He won't let so strong a weapon go." 

"And who gave you these names?"

"Julian Jacos"

"A Silver" he sneers ignoring Mare's concealed tears at the mention of her old friend's name.

"A sympathiser. He was arrested for rescuing Captain Farley, Kilorn Warren and Anne Walsh. He helped the Scarlet Guard, he sided with us. And he's probably dead for it."

"Oh, your Julian is alive."

"Alive? Still? But Maven said he would kill him-"

"Strange, isn't it? For King Maven to leave such a traitor still breathing? The way I see it, your Julian was never with you at all. He gave the you the list to pass on to us, to send the Guard on a goose chase, ending in another trap." I've never met Lord Jacos but Mare seems to trust him and whoever she trusts, I trust too. Julian risked his life for Kilorn and Diana even though he had never met them. Why would he have done that, if he was with Maven? "And even if, if, the list is true, and the names do lead to other things like you, then what? Do we dodge the worst agents of the kingdom, better and faster than us to find them? Do we attempt a mass exodus of the ones we can save? Do we found the Barrow school for freaks, and spend years training them to fight? Do we ignore all the suffering, the child soldiers, the executions, for them?" freaks. Is that what we are? Is being stronger, more powerful, better than him being a freak? "This war will be over and our bodies cold before we gain a single bit of ground with your proposition. The rest of the command will say the same, Diana, so unless you wish to play the fool yet again, I suggest you keep quiet about this." Mare opens her mouth to say something, but thankfully the Colonel stops her before she can make things worse for herself. "I will hear no more of it, Miss Barrow. And before you make a snide comment about me trying to stop you, remember your oath. You swore an oath to the Scarlet Guard, not your own selfish motives." He gestures to me and the other injured soldiers, "And if their faces aren't enough to keep you in line, then remember your friend and his own position here." 

"You wouldn't dare hurt him" 

"To protect my own, I certainly would. Just as you did. Make no mistake, Miss Barrow, you have hurt people to serve your own ends, the prince most of all." Mare goes red and the lights flicker. She clenches her fists to stop herself losing control. The Colonel walks out of the room, satisfied with the damage he has done, pleased with the power it gives him.

"Easy there, lightning girl" Diana murmurs softly, "It's not all that bad."

"Isn't it?" she growls

Diana just smirks and pulls out the key to barracks one, "You'll find I'm remarkably good at giving orders, and particularly awful at following them."


	6. Chapter 6

I jump outside Mare's cell. We'd had to think of an emergency plan when the Colonel found out we were rescuing Cal and had made Kilorn imprison Mare and Diana as well. I use my crutch like a club, hitting the guards before they realise what's happening. I undo the lock and Cal wrenches the door open, with Mare and Kilorn following closely behind. "Missed you." she murmurs to the lightning flashing in her hands, earlier smothered by the silent stone.

"You're a strange one, lightning girl." Diana says, unharmed, thank goodness.

"The benefit of befriending nurses," Kilorn says, answering Mare before she gets the chance to ask, "A nice smile was all it took to distract Lena, and slip something harmless into the box."

"She'll be heartbroken to find you gone, poor girl." 

"That's not my problem."

"And now?" Cal says

"Now we jump" I reply. Mare puts her hand on my arm and the others soon follow. The bunker flashes by, with guards shooting at us every time we land. They'll never catch me, no one can. I try to hide the pain and effort of jumping five people at once as I don't want anyone to give up this early. We finally land in the aircraft hanger where two jets are waiting. 

"What are you doing here?" A shaky Lakelander mechanic in grey overalls comes out from behind one of the jets, "I-I'll have to report you to your supervisors"

"Report away" Diana barks, "We're on strict orders from the Colonel. Now get this hangar door open."

I enter the Blackrun first and Kilorn follows. "Mare, I need you up here," Cal says as he sits down in the pilot's seat. 

"What can I do?"

"This thing's got batteries, but they need a kick, and I don't think that mechanic's going to give it to us. Do what you do best."

"Right" Cal opens the control panel and mare grabs one of the biggest wires. Purple sparks shoot out of her hands and the plane buzzes into life. 

"Well done" he says, and starts flipping switches. Kilorn puts his hand on Mare's shoulder and stares at the plane.

"Does she expect me to ram this thing through a wall?" Cal mutters, glancing, not at my sister but at me, "Shade?"

I shake my head, "I can't jump things this big, this- complicated. Even on a good day." but I will not admit weakness, I want do do everything I can to help the newbloods, to help Diana, to help Mare, to help me. "I can grab Farley though," I say. 

"You're no use dead, Barrow," Kilorn grins, "I'll get that door open."

"Don't bother" Mare growls and the hangar door slowly opens, revealing two dozen soldiers, their guns aimed at the blackrun. 

"Go!" Diana shouts running into the jet and quickly strapping herself in. The blackrun lurches forward and the soldiers flee.

"All right, let's get this thing moving," Cal says and pushes the plane quickly forward. Bullets hit the side of the jet but never puncture it. 

"You sure you can fly this thing?" Kilorn growls. Cal pushes the jet to full speed and everyone's voices seem far away. It would only take one mistake to send us crashing into the hills below. I am not made for flying. The clouds pass by and Tuck island gets smaller and smaller. 

"Well?" Cal says, smirking at Kilorn, "Can I fly this thing?" He presses a couple of buttons and seems to let the blackrun fly on its own. "So where are we heading?" he asks, "Or are we just winging it now?"

Kilorn pulls out a pile of maps. "The Colonel's," he explains "There's a landing strip near Harbor Bay."

Cal shakes his head, "You mean Fort Patriot? You want me to land us in the middle of a Nortan air base?"

Diana gets out of her seat, "Yes, we are completely stupid, your Highness," she shoves another map under his nose, "Not the fort. Nine-Five Field."

He takes the map and laughs, "What is it?" Mare asks,

"Your friend wants me to land a Blackrun on a damn ruin,"

`"Thats impossible"

Cal nods, "With Mare we don't need to touch down here. We can take our time, refuel the batteries whenever we need, and fly as long as we want, as far as we want. Or until the batteries stop holding charge."

"And how long might that be?"

"Blackruns went into use two years ago. At worst, this girl's got another two on her cells."

"Don't scare me like that"

"So then, where do we start?" Diana asks.

"We let the list decide. You have it, don't you?" 

Kilorn pulls out the notebook, "Lifted it from the Colonel"

"His quarters?"

He shakes his head, "He's smarter than that. Kept it locked up in the barracks armory, with the key on his necklace."

"And you...?"

He smirks and pulls out the gold chain on his neck, "I might not be as good a pickpocket as you but-"

Diana nods, "We were planning on stealing it eventually, but. when they locked you up, we had to improvise. And quickly."

"Well done." Mare whispers

"Yes well, I'll take that now if you don't mind," Diana says, and grabs the necklace. Her mother used to always wear it, before she died. I never found out what happened to her sister. "Well lightning girl, who's closest to Nine-Five?"

"We're not landing at Nine-Five" Cal says firmly

"Nine-Five isn't a ruin," I groan, "Have you forgotten Naercey already?"

"You repaved it," 

"And you couldn't just say that outright?" Mare spits, "You know there's no points for being dramatic, Diana. Every second you waste feeling smug could mean another dead newblood." 

"And every second you waste questioning me, Kilorn and Shade on everything down to the air you breathe does the same thing, lightning girl,"

"Give me one reason to trust you and I will." 

Diana backs away, "Nine-Five was a ruin, and to anyone curious enough to visit, it just looks like a stretch of abandoned road. One mile of asphalt that hasn't broken apart yet." She points to the other roads, "It's not the only one. The Blackrun and the Snapdragon are the first jets we've stolen, but more will come."

"I wouldn't be sure of that," Cal replies, "After they were taken from Delphie, it'll be even harder to get into a base, let alone a cockpit."

Diana smiles, "In Norta, yes. But the airfields of Piedmont are woefully unguarded."

"Piedmont?"

"The Piedmont princes are utterly convinced that the Scarlet Guard is a Nortan problem. Fortunately for us, they're incorrect," she smirks, "This snake has many heads."

Mare bites her lip and her eyes scan the pages of the notebook. "Coraunt," she says, "How close is Coraunt to the Nine-Five landing strip?"

"Close enough."

What's in Coraunt, Mare?" Kilorn asks.

"His name is Nix Marsten." She replies.

Diana and Kilorn sort the supplies that we found on the Blackrun into piles while I change the dressings on my shoulder. The pain isn't as bad as it was but my leg may have to stay in a cast for a long time. At least it doesn't affect my jumping. Mare doesn't look well. She whispers to herself in the corner, looking like she's about to cry. Mare never cries, not like this. Cal tries to comfort her and I try to pretend I don't notice. She won't want us to see her like this. She slowly sits back up, "I assume you know what you're doing?" she asks Cal.

If he thinks we're in any danger, he doesn't show it, "Those are the Bahrn Islands, and nothing to worry about. Fort Patriot on the other hand..." he points to the mainland, "I'm going to stay out of their sensor range as long as I can."

"And when you can't?" Kilorn asks, leaning on the side of her chair, "You think you can outfly them?"

"I know I can." he smirks, "But I won't have to. Every jet has a call sign, to let the forts know exactly which bird's going where. When we get in range, I'll send an old one out, and if we're lucky, no one will think to double-check." 

"Sounds like a gamble." Kilorn grumbles.

"It works," Diana says, "That's how the Colonel get's past, if he can't fly between the sensories." she talks about him as if he isn't her father. I don't blame her.

"I suppose it helps that no one expects rebels to know how to fly," Mare says, "They're not looking for stolen jets in the air."

Cal stiffens and gets out of his chair, "Instrument response is sluggish," he mutters. A lie, and we all know it.

"Cal?" Mare calls after him, but he just ignores her. She walks over to me, "Can I get you anything?" she asks me.

"Wouldn't say no to to some water," I tell her, "And dinner." she gets me a canteen and some food and looks over to where Cal is standing. He has put on one of the flight suits, looking more like the king he would have been. He tears off the badge, the burning crown and flings it across the jet. He doesn't want to remind himself of what he's been through. I move so Mare can sit downside me.

"We did the right thing, didn't we?" she whispers to me.

I nod, "It was only a matter of time before they threw me in with you. The Colonel doesn't know how to handle people like us. We scare him."

"He's not the only one. At least the others are normal." 

"Mom and Dad?"

"Gisa too, and the boys. They're true Red so he can't- he won't do anything to them."

"If they'd helped us, it'd be a different story. But they didn't know anything about our escape, so I wouldn't worry. Leaving the way we did- it was better for them. Dad would have helped otherwise, Mom too. At least Bree and Tramy are loyal enough to the cause to escape any suspicion. Not to mention, neither of them are bright enough to pull something like this off. I doubt even the Lakelanders would like throwing an old woman, a cripple and little Gisa in a cell."

"Good" she replies.

"I don't like it when you call them normal." I add, "There's nothing wrong with us. we're different yes, but certainly not better."

"You're right, Shade." She says but I see right through her lie, "You always are."

I laugh, "Can I get that in writing?" I say, pretending I believe her. 

Cal strides past us, "We should be in range soon." he says, "I'd buckle in."

Kilorn and Mare help me up and I make my way to a seat at the back of the jet. Mare sits beside me this time and Diana takes her place at the front. Cal presses a load of switches and levers and we soon start moving down again.

"You still have them." Kilorn says, gesturing to Mare's ears. Four gemstones sit there. A pink one from Bree, a red one from Tramy, a purple one from me and a new, green one from Kilorn.

"Of course," she says, "These will be with me to my grave."

"Let's keep the grave talk to a minimum, especially at the moment." he mutters.

She gestures to his bruised cheek, "Sorry about that." 

"You've given me worse." he laughs.

"Fort Patriot, this is BR one eight dash seven two. Origin Delphie, destination Fort Lencasser." Cal speaks into the radio. We wait but there is no response. He repeats the signal. 

"Received, BR one eight dash seven two." comes the reply, "Next call in will be Cancorda Control. Received?"

"Received, Patriot Control."

But before we can relax the radio crackles again, "Storms over Lencasser, proceed with caution." finally, I can breathe again, "Received?"

"Received." Cal repeats. The radio clicks, signaling the end of transmission. He smiles, "No sweat." Mare laughs.

"Well done, your Highness." I say.

"My name is Cal, and that's all." he smiles.

"I take it we don't call in at Cancorda, your Highness?" Kilorn smirks.

Twenty minutes later we are flying over Nine-Five field. "Brace for landing." Cal says

"And that means what exactly?" Mare replies. The plane hits the ground and my crutch goes flying and hits the back of Diana's chair.

"We're down" she breathes.

Diana and I walk out of the plane to scout while the others rest. "How's your leg?" she asks.

"Seriously, Diana, I'm fine" I say

"Stop calling me that"

"Why? it's your name"

"My name is Farley"

"Surely I, the man honoured to be dating you can call you by your first name?"

"Fine. But only you call me that."

"I'm not a whisper, I can't influence other's decisions"

"You know what I mean" She kisses me lightly and we head on. 

We finally head back an hour later when we decide that it's safe.


	7. Chapter 7

I jump through the trees while Cal stumbles over everything. He isn't used to this but he seems ok. Every couple of seconds I point out deer trails or certain types of birds for him. He grew up in a palace and hasn't had the chance to experience nature like this before. Kilorn smiles and grabs him every time he falls. "Careful there," he smirks happy to fond something he's better at than Cal, which is a lot of things apparently. A little while later we reach a stream. Kilorn tosses a pebble into it, "Six feet, maybe seven" he says, "Should we make you a raft?" 

Mare responds by diving in and he soon follows. Then Cal steps into the shallows and Diana and I have to hold back our laughter at their stupidity. Cal is a fire prince, he doesn't like water. "Cal?" Mare asks, "What's wrong?"

Kilorn laughs, "Come on Calore, you can fly a jet but you can't swim?"

"I can swim. I just don't care for it."

"In through the nose, Cal" Mare says. 

Cal steps into the river and soon he is swimming. "S'cold" he shivers. Mare brushes away the wet hair sticking to his face.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of water too?" Kilorn calls over to us. Diana just laughs and takes my hands I jump across.

"Idiots" I say, squeezing Mare's wet hair.

"Think he's down there?" Kilorn says a little while later when we finally reach Coraunt.

"Nix Marsten. Living. Male. Born 12/20/271 in Coraunt, Marsh Coast, Regent State, Norta. Current residence: same as birth. That's all the list said" Mare replies. Trust her to memorise that book of hers. I guess she's just worried she'll loose it. She squints into the distance, "No navy ships that I can see. And no traffic on the port road." 

"Shouldn't be too hard, even with the curfew." Diana says, watching the city, just like we used to. "Lazy town, lazy officers. Ten coppers says they don't even bother to secure the town's records."

"I'll take you on that" I reply.

"We'll meet you over there" Cal says, pointing to a couple of trees. 

Mare shakes her head, "We're not splitting up."

"You'd rather traipse in there together, with you and me leading the charge? Why don't I just blow up the security outpost and you can fry any officer who comes our way?"

"Of course not-"

"Neither of as can set foot in that village, Mare. Not unless you intend to kill every person who sees our faces. Every person." 

She looks down, "Okay, but Kilorn stays with us." 

"This will go a lot faster if you don't keep nannying me, Mare." He replies. I see Mare's hesitation.

"Maven knows your name. We'd be stupid to think your ID photo hasn't been sent to every officer and outpost in the country."

**Author's Note:**

> I most likely won't finish this any time soon. I'm just moving this from a different website.


End file.
